27th July 2012 Ė 3D handheld gaming will be taken to the next level when Nintendo 3DS XL launches across Europe tomorrow. The new Nintendo 3DS XL, available at launch in Silver + Black, Red + Black and Blue + Black, boasts the biggest screen ever on a Nintendo handheld console. With 90% bigger screens, the Nintendo 3DS XL systemís surface itself is only 46% bigger than the current Nintendo 3DS - meaning that 3D experiences still comfortably fit in the palms of your hands.

The glasses-free 3D upper screen of Nintendo 3DS XL will offer a larger area - measuring 4.88 inches - for viewing content and games, and there will also be proportionally more 3D Screen compared to the overall frame. Meanwhile, the rim around the edge of the top screen has been streamlined, creating a slim look and the 90% increase in the upper screen size of Nintendo 3DS XL compared to Nintendo 3DS is reflected for the bottom screen, which is now 4.18 inches.

In addition, Nintendo 3DS XL features a larger battery capacity which is welcome news for keen gamers who are used to playing on-the-go for hours at a time. The maximum playing time for Nintendo 3DS software will now be six hours and 30 minutes, up from a maximum of five hours on the original handheld.

Nintendo 3DS owners have been very receptive to Nintendo eShop and those looking to purchase the new Nintendo 3DS XL model will be thrilled by the doubled size of the bundled SD Card. Now up from two to four gigabytes, you can store more downloaded content than ever before, and with upcoming titles such as New Super Mario Bros. 2 (launching 17th August) being available as digital downloads as well as boxed retail games, you will be glad of the extra space.

The Nintendo 3DS XL will feature the full capabilities of the original Nintendo 3DS system, which launched in Europe in March 2011. The console offers portable entertainment in 3D without the need for special glasses, along with a range of online features and applications, such as Nintendo eShop and Nintendo Video, meaning that you have access to an array of exciting downloadable games and content. Get ready for an innovative console that will take portable gaming to a new level!

And thatís not all - Nintendo 3DS XL launches alongside New Art Academy: Learn New Painting Techniques and Share Your Art, a new addition to the Art Academy series for Nintendo 3DS & Nintendo 3DS XL. The larger screen gives you even more room to unleash your inner artist in the comprehensive art studio which awaits. Learn new drawing and painting techniques, experience new art materials and share your art with family and friends via your Nintendo 3DS & Nintendo 3DS XL. New Art Academy features easy to follow, step-by-step guides to a variety of drawing and painting techniques, styles and materials and you will soon be surprised at how easy they are to pick up, and how quickly your techniques can improve.

Also launching tomorrow for Nintendo 3DS & Nintendo 3DS XL is Freakyforms Deluxe Your Creations, Alive!, an expanded version of the Nintendo 3DS download software title, Freakyforms: Your Creations, Alive!. Create and customise creatures to your personal taste, and bring your very own creatures to life. Your customised creatures are created on a drawing board featuring a large palette of shapes, body parts and colours that can be put together to create pretty much anything. The only limit is going to be your imagination.

So get ready for an extra-large July 28th when Nintendo 3DS XL launches simultaneously alongside New Art Academy and Freakyforms Deluxe Your Creations, Alive!

For further information on this latest handheld, visit our dedicated Nintendo 3DS XL website. Find out how your artistic talent can grow at our New Art Academy website, and see the fun youíre missing at our Freakyforms Deluxe Your Creations, Alive! microsite.

Keep up to date with all the official Nintendo announcements and exclusive new game information by following the official Nintendo UK Twitter feed @NintendoUK.